Feeding Time Blog

Tag: feeding time blog

This is another recipe from Maria Elia, a chef I came across in my work for Foodepedia. I also got the Aubergine Mull recipe from her book which has proved to be a welcome addition to my kitchen. These meatballs are a nice alternative to beef or pork meatballs. I make them regularly as they are easy to make and taste great. The only thing to take care of with this recipe is to not overcook the meatballs because they will become tough or rubbery. With other meatballs I use milk-soaked breadcrumbs that prevent this drying out, but these ones …

I don’t review often, but when I do, it’s always genuine. I like to shout about outstanding food establishments, mainly because they’re so thin on the ground in the suburban sameness of Berkshire. I’d been to the Bel and the Dragon in Cookham for lunch a few times and I’d attended some networking events there and while the food was good I wasn’t really moved enough to write about the experience. But a few weeks ago I had the opportunity for a night out with AT because the boys were at their grandparent’s house. Evenings of parental freedom are sacrosanct …

This time last Monday I was in Paris; walking into the Latin quarter to see where Earnest Hemingway and James Joyce lived, to see Paris’ Pantheon and soak in the atmosphere of student life. But really, honestly, I was there for some noodles. If you ever ask a member of my family for travel tips, chances are they’ll be food-related. My brother stayed in Paris for a month and most of his tips came in the form of cafes to idle in and specific dishes to try. My mum’s best memory of Paris is some chicken she had in St …

There are perks in my line of work, like once I got some really nice beauty products, and another time I got some free Ryvitas…which was not that exciting I must admit, but last week I got to try out a food service that’s been launched in Maidenhead. It’s called Hello Fresh, and the lovely PR people sent me a box with meals for three nights. I should mention, this isn’t a paid bit, I reviewed it for the Tiser (as it’s affectionately called by staff, which for now includes me). But I was so impressed with the whole …

It is a rare occasion that I get to bring someone along to one of my Foodepedia events, but last Sunday proved to be an almighty exception. Harrods had a VIP launch party for their new candy store and not only did I get to go, but I got to bring the family with me! So, at 8.30 in the AM, we bundled the boys into the car and took our chances driving into London. Lucky for us the Olympic lanes were not in effect and there was ample parking in the salubrious suburb of Knightsbridge.

There’s no food here today. I just wanted to talk about being here. I had a moment the other day when I realised that I had finally experienced what I came here for. I moved here not for the glamour of London or the endless holiday possibilities – although both of these are huge bonuses. I moved here to embroil myself in the culture of England, to see and hear and talk and commune with the people of this land. But that sort of thing doesn’t happen straight away. I felt like a visitor for so long and at first …

I am having a cookie conundrum. I made my usual choc-chip cookie, for the umpteenth time, and lately I have been taking special care to measure out the butter and peanut butter, to get a more consistent result. Now I feel like I’m going crazy because I am getting these different results even though I am making them the same way. I have included a photo to demonstrate my point.

It’s a busy week. Mum and Dad have been helping me organise our Croatian food stall at the school’s Summer Fair. We’re going to be selling cevapi rolls and oblatne, a Croatian wafer cake. I’ve had a devil of a time trying to find cevapi in the UK. Cevapi are small sausage like snacks, made of beef and pork mince and blended expertly with loads of garlic. There is a small ‘Balkan’ contingency here, but not huge and certainly not exclusively Croatian, rather a mixture of ex-Yugoslav food products and specialties. They all seem to be in the Ealing/Acton area, …

I was in the mood for something chocolaty-peanut-buttery and yet easy to make. Cookies is usually the way to go and I know they’ll get eaten by someone other than myself. I haven’t got a photo of the cookies as such, because to be honest, they look pretty bad. I wasn’t in the mood to shape or even pat them down. It was one of those afternoons. But I do highly recommend salting them as per the recipe. I only salted a few thinking it wouldn’t taste very good, but actually it is amazing. These cookies are great, otherwise I

Just thought I’d share my beloved macaron poster with you all…I’ve had it for months, but now that we’ve moved I have decided to put it on the wall.

I got it when I was at a book signing at Pierre Herme’s shop in Belgravia for Foodepedia. There were free macarons involved and fans of this sort of thing would have been pistachio-green with envy. But truthfully I find his concoctions too complex for my taste. I must be a macaron peasant, a bon-bon bourgeoisie if you will. And so if you’re wondering why the poster then? Well, another testament …